Sewell was accused of obstructing the county's ongoing negotiations in its bankruptcy case. With a salary of nearly $400,000, he was the county's highest paid employee.

Bolin's selection earned praise from the Birmingham Business Alliance.

Fred McCallum, the BBA board chairman, said his groups looks forward to continuing its working relationship with the county and is excited about the chance to work with Bolin.

"Justice Bolin has had a long and distinguished career both in private practice and in his years of service on the bench," he said. "He is an excellent choice to lead the Jefferson County legal department. His leadership and temperament will be invaluable to Jefferson County as it continues its efforts to resolve bankruptcy and other issues."

Jefferson County is working through a $4.2 billion bankruptcy, with most of the debt tied to sewer bonds. The bankruptcy is the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.